Police spray MCP supporters with hundreds of tears gas canisters at party headquarters

May 29, 2019 Wanga Gwede - Nyasa Times 25 Comments

As President Peter Mutharika and vice president Everton Chimulirenji were taking oath of office in commercial city of Blantyre, in the capital Lilongwe dozens of anti-riot police officers were tear gassing opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) supporters at the party headquarters at city centre.

MCP offices damaged as police shot tear gas cannisters
MCP vehicle deflated by police
Chakwera came to address MCP supporters after tear gas
Counting some of the teargas cannisters
MCP supporters are protesting poll results

The party supporters were stoning vehicles and blocked the roads near the MCP headquarters.

The police acted swiftly by smoking them out of the party headquarters building which is next to the building of the US embassy.

But the party organizing secretary Khumbize Kandodo Banda said the party supporters had met at the MCP headquarters to make a post-mortem and strategise the way forward after the highly contentious tripartite elections.

“The police just fired teargas into the building without warning. They didn’t even have warrant, yet they invaded the party’s private property with violent acts.” she said.

“We don’t know why the police were chasing our youths who were simply going to fuel one of our lorries.”

The tear gassing left two party supporters seriously injured and forced the US embassy to close business an hour before time.

Party supporters gathered tears gas canisters which were used to give a count and found over 400 to have been used.

MCP party president Lazarus Chakwera went to address the supporters after the police had left and called for peace and calm.

Chakwera had obtained a temporary injunction at the weekend to halt the release of presidential election results over alleged vote-rigging, but it was later lifted by the courts.

The MCP president has not reacted to the official outcome.

The national police spokesperson James Kadadzera said: “There have been sporadic cases of violence in Lilongwe in the run-up and during the election period. And the police is trying to restore law and order, especially in hotspots.”

Human right activist Timothy Mtambo, executive director of Centre for Human Rights Rehabilitation (CHHR) has since condemned the police for what he termed “an act of violence and brutality.”

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25 replies on “Police spray MCP supporters with hundreds of tears gas canisters at party headquarters”

  1. Kamuzu adapha anthu osalakwa and mizimu ya anthu amene aja lero yakwiya olo mungatani muli pansi pa matembelero ,muzalima koma osadya zipatso zake,muzamanga nyumba koma osagonamo lero ndi izi kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk sham to you all northern and central

  3. Police forgets that if the 1 .7 million that voted for the pastor decides to invade the country even the police cannot stand.

    Please police stop taking advantage of peaceful people after all remember you are not a politi al party but people’s protection.

  6. They expected that after kubera pakhala ziwawa and am sure anali ndi ma targets awo. Greatest mistake any police can make is to be unfriendly to the citizens.

  9. These policemen are not happy that people are not being violent after the release of the controversial election results, so they want to insight violence kuti apezereko mwai oti aziba mtaownimu in the disguise of bringing peace. Anachalira kuti apezako katundu koma amalawi anachenjera. CAN OUR POLICE TRY TO BE PROFESSIONAL

  10. By all means use teargas when crowds become unruly but targeting people minding their own business in homes or offices is nothing but harassment.
    Just because MCP is a force to reckon with is no justification for police brutal force.

    1. Mtete, you are right. The fear is that those canisters will be used as evidence when claiming civil damages for loss of use of party office, damages for inconvenience, damages to building, loss of use of vehicles because tyres were deflated, special damages for seeking medical attention and many other claims. The Attorney General will be busy defending these claims. Very disappointing event. Tax payers money will be paid out on claims which would have been avoided.

  12. Inu a Kongeresi ndi anzanu achina tambo musamadziyese ndinu opambana a Malawi omwe avotera Mutharika chifukwa mukadakhala madolo mukanapambana chisankho. Zomwe mukuchita pobweretsa chisokonezo mdziko muno ndi za u savage ndipo mudziwe kuti kudekha/kufatsa sikupusa ndipo tsiku limodzi mudzaleka nyansi zimenezo chifukwa omwe mukwachitira chipongwewo ndi anthunso.. Mwaluzamwaluza basi!

    1. Joji ndiwe chitsilu, kuwina kwa tipex ko kubera kupatsa chidude chanu chi Ansa ndalama ndiye kuwina? Za mkutu galu iwe ndi a mec onsewo, umbanda wanu mudzalipidwa nawo tsiku ndi limodzi

      1. Iwe tipex unalibe? In this 21st century with all the technology do you think munthu angawine ndi tipex? Umfunse nyapapi Arafat hamdan mmene tampindira.

    2. Our God is not as dead as yours, time is coming when you shall not say this again, we voted but you decided to play around with what was supposed to be true and yet you call us savages? So it means a savage is a someone who is asking for the truth? Shame to you My brother, think twice before commenting

  13. This was good – smoke them out. Why were the EMUSIPI Youth Leaguers stoning passing vehicles? They have been doing uchifwamba since last week orchestrated from that building. Good that they were paid in their own currency. During their regime, such actions by opposition to EMUSIPI would automatically make people meat for crocodiles. Not anymore during the multiparty democracy presently under Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika and his DPP. Akanangolowa fake accent, dziko lonse likanadziwanso going by their recent actions.

  14. You have shown as pictures of what police did to MCP supporters at it HQ, can you also show us pictures of MCP supporters blocking roads and stoning vehicles in Lilongwe?

    1. we can’t be shown what didn’t happen. Unprovoked attack and intimidation by police

  15. Tikuthirani gas mukamachita chipolowe mtaunimo. Kapangeni zionetsero ku midzi kwanu osati mu city momwe muli anthu ochokera madera osiyanasiyana

  16. Apolice musandipsese mtima, tsoka ndi thembelero lipite kwa onse aku MEC amene analandira ndalama nayika malawi pachiphinjo chimenechi YEHOVA wanga sagona atimenyera nkhondo, MCP singathe ndi chipani cha mphamvu

  17. MCP shall never ever die but your party shall die soon. We do not regret because Bakili also did that materialized nothing so you can not push MCP.

  18. ine ndiwa kwa goliati komweko but sizinakhale bwino sibho ndipo Ansah ndioipa Mulungu akukanthani amayi inu

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